I've been considering painting the glossy parts of my 8-Ball black to match the blacked out parts of the engine. From a paint care and cleaning perspective would you go that way or stick with gloss? A paint guy said I'd hate the flat black for care/cleaning. I can't see that since there are stock bikes like yours sold that way, hell even the Victory High-Ball is all flat black.

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2006 Victory Vegas 8-Ball

"A man who wants to do something will find a way; a man who doesn't will find an excuse." Stephen Dooley, Jr.

I will say this though...everyone's idea of what "good looking" paint is, is different. You see detailers that leave holograms all over cars and call it good...but for others that's just not acceptable. Flat paint has a broken surface which looks rough...and that part is fine by me. However, a slight rub mark that creates a shine, swirls that you may have to tilt your head to see, small scratches from buttons/keys, rock chips, or an etching from a bird bomb...drive people like me nuts, and you can't really fix them on flat paint as you could with a polished finish.

It's no harder to maintain than any other paint. It is not a "broken surface" (whatever that's supposed to mean). Yes you can wax it, but you cannot use a paste type of wax, liquid waxes only.

I'm on my second bike with matte black, and I've also painted areas of my car with it as well.

There are a few different ways to achieve the matte look, discuss your options with your painter.

On the hood of my car, we used "Hot Rod Flatz", which is quite different than the matte clear used on my bikes. I like them both, but for different reasons.

If done right, the surface will be perfectly smooth, NOT rough feeling.

It is true that you cannot rub or buff the surface at any time because it absolutely will cause that area to get shiny.

Never use dish soap on any quality paint. Never use glass cleaner because it contains ammonia and will strip away your clearcoat, and paint without clearcoat... it will strip through the paint itself. Don't use Pledge either (some people do this).

I would never let any chemical touch the surface that could hurt it, nor would I ever touch the paint with a rag, towel, or microfiber cloth.

If you want a fool-proof way to clean your bike (all surfaces) and also spend LESS time, and exert LESS energy doing it.... read on:

Go online or go into any motorcycle shop and grab some S100. Walk past all the other crap out there that promises an easy wash, yet still leaves garbage behind you have to clean by hand.

Simply spray on bike, rinse off with a power nozzle on any regular hose, and dry. You're done. I SWEAR by this stuff.

For those in Europe, it is called SDOC100.

They also make a Special Surfaces Cleaner which is absolute MAGIC on your helmet. Spray on, wipe off, and it feels like you waxed it twice.

Worried about getting swirls in your paint over time? Yes, even microfiber cloths can do this. Get an Air Force Blaster. No rag ever touches my bike for cleaning or drying. It blasts the water out of every crevice and the fins on the motor too. Then blast it off the surfaces and you're done... no water spotting. Best $90 I've spent in a while. You can also use an ELECTRIC leaf blower instead, they are much cheaper. You cannot use a gas powered one however, because they do spit out oil, and you don;t want that on your finish. I bought an electric leaf blower at Home Depot for about $40.

Now for the tough stuff... BUGS and guts. Especially tough are those love bugs. Well, I learned a great technique that works well, and works on every surface including the delicate plastics.

Get a spray bottle and fill it with hydrogen peroxide. Not kidding.

Spray it directly on the bugs and let it sit for 2-5 minutes. You'll see it fizzing up as it literally dissolves the bugs and guts. Rinse them off. Only the absolute toughest will require a LIGHT pass over with a soft sponge... absolutely no scrubbing, just a gentle wipe. Then wash the bike as needed with the S100 for the routine cleaning.

I have used S100 on paint with multiple layers of clear, I have used it on a special matte paint called Hot Rod Flatz (this is the kind that you CANNOT wax), and I use it on my Denim Harley paint as well. My previous bikes did not have much chrome, and my black engines came out rich black, not grey or cloudy. My chrome on the RG comes out sparkling without polishing or buffing or special compounds.

I have used every chemical you can think of on the racing Brembos on my cars and my wheels would still be black and nasty... spray S100 on, let it sit for a minute, wipe with their gentle sponge... all brake dust rinsed off clean. It is super tough stuff. I've tried the Simple Green stuff, Honda Wash... nothing works like S100.

*** Just be certain you do not let it sit too long and dry up, get it off there! ***

About every 3 or 4 washes, if I really want to make it look like it's rolling into a show, I will use a light application of Maguires Spray Detailer and a microfiber cloth. The ONLY time a cloth will touch any of my paint is after a complete and thorough wash, so there is no risk of dust or particles on my paint which will get rubbed in and scratch my finish. On my RGC I am using the HD Black Denim spray, lightly, and it seems to work very well. I use it mainly for touch ups between washes though. I've yet to feel the need to spray down the entire bike with it. Mainly my fairing and tank after a few long rides between washes.

It takes me half the time that it takes to do it "the old fashioned way" and my bikes always look showroom new when I am done. When I sell or trade a bike I am always asked how my paint looks like new, with no swirlies or other common issues... this is my secret.

It's no harder to maintain than any other paint. It is not a "broken surface" (whatever that's supposed to mean).

Broken..not level..call it what you want...The smoother you make the surface the more shine you will induce.

"Love them or hate them they require a specific cleaning / care regimen to maintain the finish. You cannot polish, wet-sand or use conventional wax or use an automatic car wash that uses hot wax in the final rinse, as the flattening agents that cause the matte appearance will become ‘levelled ‘The textured finish is accomplished by a diffused 30 degree reflection and are retained very close to the clear coat surface. By levelling the surface the light will be reflected evenly and result in a ‘shine’. "

Broken..not level..call it what you want...The smoother you make the surface the more shine you will induce.

"Love them or hate them they require a specific cleaning / care regimen to maintain the finish. You cannot polish, wet-sand or use conventional wax or use an automatic car wash that uses hot wax in the final rinse, as the flattening agents that cause the matte appearance will become ‘levelled ‘The textured finish is accomplished by a diffused 30 degree reflection and are retained very close to the clear coat surface. By levelling the surface the light will be reflected evenly and result in a ‘shine’. "

taken from Autopia.org

Nice bikes BTW

Thanks.

As far as the surface, it should be completely smooth, otherwise it wasn't done correctly. I have seen some that felt a little rough, but I'm sure they were a lot cheaper. All of my surfaces are silky smooth, without any texture.

As mentioned, the only wax you have to stay away from is paste wax, liquid waxes are fine, even the kinds used in drive through car washes. Of course nothing used in a car wash is quality as compared to good detailing stuff, but that's a given.

I guess that rough may be a poor choice of words..but there are definitely variations of smooth too. Obviously it's not crinkle paint rough, but there is a reason you can't buff it or need to avoid using paste waxes. Buffing smooths out the surface and creates gloss...hence there must be some level of texture. There is also a reason you can't use heavy paste waxes...because you can't completely remove it from the surface or you end up rubbing it smooth trying. I would say that when I use 3000 grit on a DA that it creates a smooth surface and it's totally matte...but there are still very fine imperfections in the paint that can be further smoothed.